Eff You, Wikipedia, for Acting Like Free Media

I searched ‘diet’. The first page of results reveals an intense and lucrative industry. The Atkins Diet, The 3 Day Diet, Biggest Loser Diet, DHEA Supplements, South Beach Diet, Drop 30 Lbs in 30 Days. There is a plethora of diet related information available. We can learn anything from the 10 Skinny Cocktails to a list of the Best Diets in 2014.

One can find anything one wants to know on the internet, right?… Free media?

I was perusing the web, researching diets and the idea of dieting, fully prepared to state what’s already been stated. How it’s a four-letter word and the amount of misinformation available is saddening. Why diets don’t work and that the Diet Industry makes a lot of money with super magical weight loss pills or flavored shakes that serve only one purpose… to make money (continuously… if they succeeded in making someone thin they would lose that customer.)

This article isn’t about diets anymore. It’s about free media.

Wikipedia has an interesting perspective. In the introduction for Nutritional Diets, the top part that can’t seem to be edited displays a picture subtitled “A selection of foods consumed by humans.”

Really?!? That’s the example we are going to give people who are actually trying to research nutrition? In addition to tulips, we see muffins, nuts, grains, more nuts, more grains, all carbs… Are the items in the bottom right corner yams, bread or fish?… I can’t tell. Yes, in the photo someone chose to be our example for ‘a selection of foods consumed by humans’ we see veggies and fruits as mere garnishes. Half a strawberry and several slices of lemon aren’t enough to provide the vitamins our bodies need.

I’m going to click this picture and see if I can replace it with one full of a variety of fruits and veggies, I thought to myself.

Nope, sure can’t change it but we find that this terrible example of what humans should eat was kindly released by the Agricultural Research Service, the research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Hmmm, interesting.

Later, we read, “Proper nutrition requires ingestion and absorption of vitamins, minerals, and food energy in the form of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.” WTF?!? Carbohydrates, proteins and fats?! Now I’m kinda’ getting frustrated. We are supposed to absorb vitamins and minerals from just carbs, proteins, and fats?! Fruits and vegetables isn’t even going to be mentioned? What about ‘organic’ or ‘nutrient dense’ Seriously!? You’ve got to be kidding me. Who wrote this?

“There is no consensus on what constitutes a healthy diet.” Shut the FRONT DOOR! How is there no consensus? Who was asked? I bet if you solicit about a hundred yoga teachers or practitioners of Eastern Medicine about nutrition you will get a frickin’ consensus. I call bull-shit!

Even free media isn’t free. Just as we have to be mindful of the things we consume as food, we have to be mindful of the information we consume. The lack of information and misinformation is vast because nobody makes profit off of people being well. I really enjoy the documentaries A Beautiful Truth and Hungry For Change, the information in these films jumpstarted my interest in nutrition.

Free media is the biggest joke of all. Regarding proper human nutrition, there is a consensus. Enjoyable articles on elephant journal and mindbodygreen often give excellent recipes, healthy ideas, and ayurvedic methods. Processed or not makes a difference. Chemical additives like msg, artificial colors and flavors, and preservatives are historically completely foreign to our bodies. No wonder we can’t process them. P.S. The chemicals in artificial food interact with our cerebral chemical makeup making us just a little (or a lot) crazy. Read about how diet effects ADHD here.

A nutritional ‘Diet’ is defined as the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group. When one speaks of a giraffe’s diet, they are speaking about what a giraffe eats throughout its life, not what the giraffe ate to get ready for swimsuit season or that family gathering where there will be tons of photos taken. Hazaa! It’s not supposed to be a three day, 4 week, year long or segmented regimen at all! It’s the sum of what we consume, the prana for life. Our cells regenerate with the nutrients we provide them… and I just don’t think tulips and carbs are gunna’ cut it.

Eff you, Wikipedia, for acting like free media.

Matilda began introspection and soul work several years ago. She fell in love with yoga during a miserable low point in life. Job sucked, relationship sucked, and when push came to shove she didn’t like herself all that much. She felt she was on the fast track towards a mundane life. Searching for something positive to be a part of, Matilda impulsively purchased six months unlimited at the yoga studio. There she found something she didn’t realize was lost… herself. Yoga- something so simple, yet so complex changed everything.

Matilda is a sultry storyteller. In addition to silly blogs, yummy healthy recipes and reviews, Matilda is the author of the hit novel Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe – Dating and Sexcapades of a Yogi. Follow her for more beautiful short stories, compilations of risky and seductive encounters paired with tasteful karma.